Charity permitted to challenge Government plans to cap child refugees in UK

Campaigners have been given the go-ahead to challenge a court ruling on the Government's plans to cap the number of child refugees allowed into the UK.

The Help Refugees charity brought legal action over the Home Office's calculation that only 480 unaccompanied children should be accepted under an amendment moved by Labour peer Lord Dubs.

It sought orders to force Home Secretary Amber Rudd to abandon the cap and reopen what it said was a "defective" consultation process so consideration could be given to allowing more children in.

But judges in London ruled against the charity in November last year, saying they were "not persuaded" its case was made out.

The charity has now been given permission to challenge that decision at the Court of Appeal.

Law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the charity, said today (January 25) there are currently 3,350 unaccompanied children in Greece and that, to date, only one child has been relocated in the UK under the Dubs Amendment.

Rosa Curling, a human rights solicitor at the firm, said: "We are pleased the Court of Appeal has listened to the concerns raised by our clients who believe the Government needs to reopen the consultation so that national capacity to assist these lone children, many of whom are struggling to survive and at risk of serious abuse, can be properly assessed."

Help Refugees founder and chief executive Josie Naughton said: "We are delighted that permission to appeal has been granted

"The crisis these children are facing is still as desperate now as it was when the amendment was passed."

The charity has also launched a campaign to help finance its case against the Home Office on the CrowdJustice fundraising website.

The Dubs Amendment was added to the 2016 Immigration Act and, from May last year, required the Home Secretary to make arrangements to relocate "a specified number" of vulnerable refugee children from Europe based on feedback from local authorities.